Madrid for Americans holds stories that never make it into the guidebooks. Did you know that the world's oldest restaurant, according to Guinness World Records, is a few steps from Plaza Mayor and appears in a Hemingway novel? Or that a Spanish military officer is an honorary citizen of the United States?
Here are the first clues, with sources. The rest is explained on foot, in Spanish every day and in English from Monday to Friday. If you're traveling with friends from the UK, also check out Madrid for British visitors.
In summary
- Hemingway: He arrived in Madrid in the spring of 1923 and returned for more than three decades.
- Botín: open since 1725, it appears in The Sun Also Rises (Fiesta) (1926).
- Washington Irving: He was the US representative in Spain from 1842 to 1846.
- Bernardo de Gálvez: Honorary U.S. citizen since 2014.
- Ava Gardner: she lived in Madrid from the late 1950s.
- Free tour: 11:15 at Puerta del Sol, pay what you wish.
If you want to hear these stories on the street, our free tour of Madrid leaves from Puerta del Sol. It's pay-what-you-wish: you pay nothing upfront and, at the end, you give what you think it was worth.
Madrid for Americans: Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway arrived in Madrid in the spring of 1923, on Gertrude Stein's recommendation, to see a bullfight. He came back in 1936 as a Civil War reporter and again in 1956, after winning the Nobel Prize.
During the war he stayed in the Hotel Florida, in the Plaza de Callao, 2, which no longer exists. The correspondents sent their dispatches from the Telefónica building on the Gran Vía. In the Chicote bar they still serve the "Papa Doble" in his honour. Source: Madrid City Council.
Madrid for Americans: Botín, the restaurant of The Sun Also Rises (Fiesta)
Sobrino de Botín opened in 1725, on Calle Cuchilleros, a few steps from Plaza Mayor. Guinness World Records recognises it as the oldest restaurant in the world. It still has an 18th-century wood-fired oven for roast suckling pig and lamb.
Hemingway frequented it and brought it into one of the final scenes of The Sun Also Rises (Fiesta) (1926), where the protagonist eats suckling pig. Source: Vozpópuli.
Madrid for Americans: Washington Irving, diplomat in Madrid
The author of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow was the United States' Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Spain. He was appointed on February 10, 1842, presented his credentials on August 1, 1842, and completed his mission on July 29, 1846. Source: Office of the Historian, Department of State.
Madrid for Americans: Bernardo de Gálvez
In 1781, the Spanish military officer Bernardo de Gálvez captured Pensacola, the capital of West Florida, ending the last British presence in the Gulf of Mexico. King Charles III granted him the title of Count of Gálvez.
In December 2014, Congress and President Obama appointed him honorary citizen of the United States. Previously, only seven people had received it. That same month, a copy of his portrait was hung in the Capitol, fulfilling a 1783 resolution of Congress. Source: The Objective. In December 2015, the King inaugurated an exhibition about his life at the Casa de América in Madrid, according to the Ministry of Defense.
Madrid for Americans: Ava Gardner
Ava Gardner lived in Madrid from the late 1950s until well into the 1960s, on Doctor Arce Street. Juan Domingo Perón lived in the apartment below. She frequented Lhardy, Chicote, the Villa Rosa flamenco club, and the San Ginés chocolate shop, among other places, and shared Hemingway's passion for bullfighting. Source: Madrid City Council.
There are still stories to tell. We tell them along the way, and there's always one you didn't expect.
How to prepare for your visit to Madrid
1. Choose your language. If you prefer the tour in English, remember that it runs from Monday to Friday.
2. If you travel at Christmas, read our guide to Christmas in Madrid.
3. Share the guide with your British friends: Madrid for British visitors.
Discover it with us: central Madrid with a guide
Our free walking tour of Madrid leaves every day at 11:15 from the Puerta del Sol, in front of ZapShop. You'll recognize us by the purple umbrella. It lasts about 2 hours and 15 minutes and ends in the vicinity of Royal Palace. There are departures in Spanish every day and in English Monday to Friday. Before you go, check the website notice in case the meeting point has changed.
It's a free tour (pay what you wish)You don't pay anything upfront and, in the end, you contribute what you consider appropriate. Check availability and book.
Frequently asked questions about Madrid for Americans
History
Sobrino de Botín, in Madrid, open since 1725, according to the Guinness Book of Records.
In the spring of 1923, according to the Madrid City Council.
A Spanish military officer who captured Pensacola in 1781. He has been an honorary citizen of the United States since 2014.
About the free tour
Yes, Monday to Friday at 11:15 from Puerta del Sol. In Spanish it runs every day.
You don't pay anything upfront. In the end, you contribute what you deem appropriate.
Do you want to explore Madrid with us?
